Can you imagine a life without technology? Probably not. When it comes to sports, it’s not easy to find a link between technology and sports, but the truth is, technology is present throughout the industry. From heart monitors for tracking athlete’s heart rate and body condition to police radar guns for measuring running speed, these simple tools have become the greatest game changers in sports training and competitions.
The role of technology in sports has increased rapidly. Each modern device comes with specific benefits that made every trainer’s life easier, from evaluating an athletes’ performance and helping coaches develop a game strategy and training program. Trainers use the data to plan training sessions and use devices to facilitate training routines. Even the whole experience of watching sports competitions made it easy for sports fans to follow their favorite athlete and stay updated on the latest sports events.
With technology, it’s easy to administer and officiate sports when human capabilities are insufficient. It has affected different aspects of sports from the public profile, viewing, and performance. In this article, we’ll discuss the role of technology in revolutionizing sports training and how recent innovations changed the state of sports and technology.
Tracks health performance
Whether you’re doing sports to prepare for a competition or simply work out for health and fitness reasons, using the right equipment is essential. In the old days, people settle for make-shift tools and raw materials such as wood and rubber as alternative sports equipment. Today, technology has opened limitless possibilities to access modern training equipment and high accuracy tech devices that provide personalized training techniques (e.g., air bikes and treadmills). Gone are those days of measuring distances with a vehicle or running hundreds of laps in large football fields.
Using sensors attached to a body part has helped sports trainers monitor and measure performance in real-time. Some examples are smart clothing that monitors athlete’s physical condition, such as biometric data, pulse rate, muscle stretch, temperature, physical movement, and heart rhythm. Athletes and trainers can easily access the data by transmitting it via Bluetooth connection.
Meanwhile, smartwatches are ideal for tracking daily performance, including the number of steps and heart rate. You can sync the data with a fitness application to have a record of your daily progress.
Smartphones today offer several tracking options to access different fitness applications and workout activities depending on your preferred exercise level and current body condition. After the training, the application will show your progress and how the training affected your overall performance and health. Other applications offer suggested meal plans or a daily diet to supplement your training.
Improves accuracy
Have you ever watched a sports science program where athletes take part in science experiments to test their skills and push their performance to its limit? These programs use advanced measuring devices that allow athletes to monitor what went wrong or ways to improve their performance.
Modern technology is proven useful for both professional or amateur athletes in enhancing their gameplay. Swing analysis and video projections are tools used by players to analyze their movements and performance, allowing them to do better in the next competition.
Technology also helps athletes enhance their athletic movements. Modern divers and swimmers are using sensors to measure effort and time metrics. They monitor swimming movements, such as dive angle, hydrodynamics, leg movement, and rotational speed. Observing these movements helps them evaluate performance-related actions and the type of adjustments needed to be done to increase their speed.
Reduces injuries and enhances performance
One of the most essential advantages of technology in sports training is the reduced number of injury cases and the ability to identify possible incidents. Since sports often involve rigorous activities and plenty of body contact, sustaining injuries have become a part of every training and competition. But thanks to technology, sports professionals found a way to protect themselves from unforeseen incidents.
One example is the invention of the concussion helmet. In sports games such as baseball and football, players are constantly concerned about their safety, especially in sustaining head injuries such as concussions. Meanwhile, helmets in motorsports also proved useful in reducing unwanted neck and head injuries across the road.
With a concussion helmet and other safety equipment, players can play with much confidence regardless of the intensity of the game or training. In fact, sports companies continue to develop safety equipment with ergonomic aspects to improve athlete’s performance and adjust to the increased training demands.
Today, amateur and professional sports organizations have embraced the latest tech innovations to protect athletes and improve sports performance. The items above are just a few of the reasons how technology changed the entire sports industry. As tech companies continue to develop sports tech innovations, we’re likely to witness more technological advances in sports both at the leisure and competition level.
